Please join us on Wednesday, January 23, 2019 at SVSU's Curtiss Hall for the region-wide MLK Celebration. Our Foundation, alongside Midland Area Community Foundation and Saginaw Community Foundation, will award the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Scholarship to outstanding high school seniors who have demonstrated Dr. King's teachings. The event will also feature a presentation from Keynote Speaker Valerie Jarrett.

As the Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama from 2009-2017, Valerie Jarrett oversaw the Offices of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, and chaired the White House Council on Women and Girls.

During her career at the White House, she helped diverse groups of advocates with efforts to strengthen and improve access to middle class and championed equality and opportunity for all Americans. She also worked on campaigns to end sexual assault, empower working families and promote early childhood education.

Prior to serving in the White House, Jarrett was the CFO of The Humanity Company in Chicago, Chairman of the Chicago Transit Board, Commissioner of Planning and Development, and Deputy Chief of Staff for Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.

Jarrett received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Stanford University in 1978 and received a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School in 1981.

Donor Services

What is a Community Foundation?

Community Foundations are the area's leaders in philanthropy. We look to the long-term growth in Bay and Arenac counties to ensure there are always funds available to respond to pressing needs and take initiative for new opportunities.

For more than 25 years, we have been supporting the philanthropic goals of our donors and the work of our local nonprofits. We don't know what future needs and opportunities will drive the future. But one thing is for sure: because of your generosity, Bay Area Community Foundation will be here!

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of dreams." — Eleanor Roosevelt